Hey all,
I know I said I was gonna do a MCU fancast next, but I was itching to get this made beforehand. But I'm still doing the MCU cast, hoping to get it up within the next week or so.
Anyways, my latest fancast is for a possible reboot of the G.I. Joe film series (which many agree is necessary). Comments on my previous casts said that I used too many big names, so I tried using mostly lesser known actors (but still using a handful of A-listers). And as usual, I try to be original in who I pick. Anywho, here goes nothing...
Duke - Matt Damon (as seen in Invictus, True Grit, and the Bourne series)
I was hesitant in selecting Damon in the lead role because he’s quite a big name right now, but I found it hard to find someone who would do as good of a job. I was originally going with either or Aaron Eckhart, but then I saw both were too old for Duke. Damon’s still young enough to play the character (even though he’s about to hit 41), and he’s a good actor who’s well experienced with action films (just watch the
Bourne trilogy and see what I mean). I think he’d be a great Duke.
Others I considered: Aaron Eckhart, Tim Roth, Mark Wahlberg, Sam Worthington
Snake Eyes - Ray Park (as seen in
X-Men,
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, and
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace)
I thought Park did such a fine job as Snake Eyes in
Rise of Cobra, that I’d like him to reprise his role in a reboot. His athletic skills in the film were phenomenal, just what I think is necessary for the character.
Others I considered: None
Scarlett - Elia Dushku (as seen in
Buffy The Vampire Slayer,
Batman: Year One, and
The Big Bang Theory)
I thought Rachel Nichols did a good job in
Rise Of Cobra, so I kinda had to go through quite a few actresses to find who I’d like to play Scarlett in a potential reboot. I eventually decided on the new voice of Catwoman, Eliza Dushku. I haven’t seen her in much, but she was pretty good in what I saw. I think she’d be a pretty decent Scarlett (besides, she'd look great in a Joe suit).
Others I considered: Scarlett Johansson, Emily Blunt, Blake Lively
Flint - Matthew Fox (as seen in
LOST,
Speed Racer, and
Smokin’ Aces)
This was a pretty accidental choice. I was searching Flint on Google Images and stumbled upon a manip of Fox as the character, and it kinda struck me that this could work. Fox is a great actor (and pretty underrated IMO), he was good in
Speed Racer. He seems like someone who would bring justice to the character.
Others I considered: Sam Worthington
General Hawk - Thomas Haden Church (As seen in
Spider-Man 3,
Easy A, and the
George Of The Jungle films)
I was originally gonna go with Bruce Greenwood on this, but I decided to go with someone else because Greenwood is often cast too often in a role like this since Star Trek. So I decided upon Haden Church, best known for his brilliant portrayal of Sandman in the third
Spider-Man film. May be a bit of a stretch for the actor, but I think he’d own this role.
Others I considered: Harrison Ford, Bruce Greenwood
Lady Jaye - Rose Byrne (as seen in
Bridesmaids,
X-Men: First Class, and
Knowing)
Kind of a random choice, I know. After some searching, I thought Byrne would be pretty good. She was great in
First Class and good in
Knowing, so she certainly has the chops. Her role in First Class kinda reminded me of Lady Jaye in fact, I think she’d do fine.
Others I considered: Adrianne Palicki, Famke Jenssen
Jinx - Juno Temple (as seen in
The Three Musketeers,
Killer Joe, and
)
Temple’s an up and coming actress, and I’m looking forward to seeing her in
next year (whoever she may end up playing). I was looking for a younger actress to play the character (like Elodie Yung, who’ll play Jinx in next year’s
Retaliation), and Temple was literally the first person I thought of. I think she’d be pretty good as Jinx.
Others I considered: None
Roadblock - Michael Jai White (as seen in
Spawn,
The Dark Knight, and
Black Dynamite)
Terry Crews is apparently the fan favorite for the character, and while I think he’d be good, I preferred to choose a more original choice. I eventually decided on fellow Luke Cage fan-favorite Michael Jai White (though I see him better as Blade than Cage) as Roadblock. White was good in
The Dark Knight (although he wasn’t in it for long), I think he has what’s necessary to play the character.
Others I considered: Terry Crews
Storm Shadow - Jet Li (As seen in
The Expendables,
The Forbidden Kingdom, and Lethal Weapon 4)
Another one I was hesitant about, due to Li being an A-lister. I had trouble finding anyone else, and Li’s a pretty good actor who I think could breathe life into the character (he definitely has the action moves to play the character).
Others I considered: Lee Byung-hun, Jackie Chan
Firefly - Thomas Jane (as seen in
The Punisher,
Killshot, and
Hung)
I thought it was funny that our last Punisher, Ray Stevenson, is playing this very same character in Retaliation next year, and my pick was Thomas Jane (who I think we can all agree is our best Punisher to date). The dude’s a great actor who was a fantastic Frank Castle, I think he can be just as awesome as Firefly.
Others I considered: Jason Statham
Cobra Commander - Mads Mikkelson (as seen in
Casino Royale,
, and
King Arthur)
Mikkelson seems to be the fan favorite for the role by now, and while I wanted to cast a more original choice, I found Mikkelson too awesome to resist. He was a good villain in
Casino Royale, so he certainly has the menacing acting chops. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s take on Commander in
Rise Of Cobra was excellent, however, so Mikkelson would have a lot to live up to if he ever gets the role.
Others I considered: Hugo Weaving, Mark Strong
Baroness - Michelle Rodriguez (as seen in
Avatar,
Battle: LA, and
Resident Evil)
Jaimie Alexander was my original choice for Baroness, but Rodriguez won me over with her experience in the action genre while still being a pretty good actress. I think Baroness would be a piece of cake for her.
Others I considered: Jaimie Alexander, Angelina Jolie
Joe Colton - Sam Elliott (as seen in
Hulk,
Ghost Rider, and
The Golden Compass)
I was kinda hesitant in choosing Elliott because of his average performance as Thunderbolt Ross in Ang Lee’s
Hulk, but I mainly cast him because his performance as Ross gave him some sort of military experience to base a performance as the original Joe on. Heck, look at the images - yeah, Elliott would own.
Others I considered: William Hurt
Red Star - Alexander Skarsgard (as seen in
True Blood,
Battleship, and
Straw Dogs)
I know Red Star is Russian, but I had trouble searching for a sufficient Russian actor to play the guy. After searching, I decided that Skarsgard would be a fine choice. I haven’t really seen much of his work beyond an episode or two of
True Blood and the
Battleship trailer, but he seems like he’d be pretty good as Red Star.
Others I considered: Javier Bardem
Serpentor - Tim Roth (as seen in
The Incredible Hulk,
Planet Of The Apes, and
Lie To Me)
Roth was my first choice for Duke after seeing his excellent performance in
Incredible Hulk, but I then saw that he’s way too old to play that character. I then decided that he’d be a good Serpentor (especially since he has that villain-playing experience already). He had some awesome military moves in
Hulk, which convinced me that he HAS to be in a Joe film (whether it’s a reboot of a
Rise Of Cobra sequel).
Others I considered: Mark Strong
Skullbuster - Javier Bardem (as seen in
Eat Pray Love,
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and
No Country For Old Men)
I had trouble casting this character since I knew it would take a real badass to get him right, and after some searching, I decided that Bardem (fan favorite for Bane) would be good. He’s a pretty awesome actor and one who’s rather underrated, I think he’d do Skullbuster justice.
Others I considered: Mark Wahlberg
Well, that's that. As usual, feedback/comments/suggestions are always welcome. And as I stated before, look for my Marvel Cinematic Universe cast within the coming week or two.